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Spay-neuter clinic helps keep animal population under control

Posted: Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Less than three months after opening its doors, the Athens Regional Spay & Neuter Center already has provided helpful medical care to scores of cats and dogs.

During its first 11 weeks in operation, the center, located on Mars Hill Road near Watkinsville, has been the site of 716 canine and feline surgeries, offering low-cost spay and neuter services to people who might otherwise not be able to afford it.

"Athens has such a high poverty rate and a majority of the animals reproducing uncontrollably belong to low-income residents," said Crystal Schultz, executive director of the Athens Area Humane Society, of which the center is a program. "We'd rather deal with their pets at the center than see the babies at the (open-admission animal) shelter."

The center, which opened in November and hosted an Open House on Feb. 3, has a full-time veterinarian on staff and can perform up to 30 spay or neuter procedures a day. The center is filling a need in the community by offering an alternative to an overpopulation of animals that can't be properly cared for.

"People don't have their animals spayed or neutered because they can't afford it," said Schultz, who has served as the Humane Society's director for 18 months. "We'd get calls about discounted spay and neuter services and we weren't able to help them with what they needed, and then three months later, they'd be bringing a litter of kittens to the shelter.

"There were simply no other options. We wanted to do whatever we could do to make services affordable and available."

A veterinarian in private practice might charge as much as $200 for the surgery and shots, but the center is among the most affordable choices in the community. Schultz said spay/neuter fees are $35 for a male cat, $45 for a female cat, $55 for a male dog and $65 for a female dog. Proof of a rabies shot or the shot itself ($7) is required by law and the center offers vaccination options for peoples' pets.

For a number of reasons, patients generally spend the night of their procedure at the center, Schultz said.

"We do surgeries late into the night, so we want them to start recovering before they come home," she said. "And having them stay overnight allows us to check their incisions one last time."

Besides the obvious community improvements that come with a smaller population of unwanted kittens and puppies, animals derive health benefits from spaying and neutering, limiting their exposure to some cancers. And spaying prevents females from going into heat.

The Athens Humane Society is a nonprofit agency and hosts fundraisers to provide its services, which besides the spay/ neuter center and the shelter includes adoption services, pet-care clinics, "foster parents" and playing a role last year in getting anti-tethering legislation passed in Athens-Clarke County.

Schultz, a Texas native, pointed to the society's recent accomplishments as having a positive effect on the community.

According to its Web site, the Humane Society opened an adoption outreach center, placed nearly 600 cats and small animals, served more than 800 animals at pet-care clinics and increased foster parent networks for cats by 50 percent.

"We've greatly lowered the euthanasia rate, we've opened the spay/neuter center and we've seen a 47 percent increase in adoptions," she said. "Foster homes made it possible for us to lower the euthanasia rate, and we're always looking for ways to open up cage space."

The Humane Society will recognize Spay Day USA, organized by the Doris Day Animal Foundation, on Monday. The day raises public awareness of pet overpopulation and promotes spay and neuter services.

For more information on the Athens Area Humane Society, call (706) 353-2287 or visit www.athenshumanesociety.org.